Who will win the NBA? Who will be the MVP? GMs give their opinion

Víctor LF - 10 Oct 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder Nikola Jokic Victor Wembanyama Cooper Flagg

Every year, the executives give their point of view on what the next season will bring, with some surprises and other clear indications in the responses

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Nikola Jokic could win the MVP once again

According to the 24th annual survey of general managers (GMs) conducted by John Schuhmann of NBA.com, league executives consider the Oklahoma City Thunder as the overwhelming favorites to once again win the 2026 NBA title.

In the poll — where participants cannot vote for their own team or members of their organization — 80% of GMs chose Oklahoma City as the champion. Far behind are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets, tied for second place with 7% of the votes each. The Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks were the only other teams to receive mentions.

If the Thunder manage to repeat as champions, they would be the first team to do so since the Golden State Warriors in 2018. However, the result does not guarantee anything. Last year, 83% of general managers bet that the Boston Celtics would win their second consecutive championship, but the team ended up being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

Regarding individual awards, Nikola Jokic is once again the top favorite. The Nuggets' center, a three-time MVP, received 67% of the votes to win his fourth Most Valuable Player award in the 2025/26 season.

Additionally, general managers considered him:

  • The best center in the league (97% possible),

  • The best international player (93%),

  • The best passer (80%),

  • The player with the highest basketball IQ (80%), and

  • The one who forces rival coaches to make more adjustments (57%).

Amen Thompson leads the new generation of stars

Another standout in the survey was Houston Rockets' player, Amen Thompson, who was voted as the most athletic player in the NBA (58%) and the most versatile defender (18%). Additionally, 30% of GMs picked him as the player most likely to have a breakout season in 2025/26.

For the second consecutive year, San Antonio Spurs' center, Victor Wembanyama, was chosen as the best player to build a franchise around (83%). The Frenchman was also voted as the top defender (80%) and tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo as the most versatile player in the league (30% each).

Not surprisingly, Dallas Mavericks' forward, Cooper Flagg, was the overwhelming favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, garnering an impressive 97% of the votes, the maximum possible. GMs also tagged him as the rookie who will be the best player in five years, with 93% support.

Over half of the general managers (53%) believe that the Atlanta Hawks made the best offseason moves, while 47% think the Orlando Magic will be the most improved team of the year.

On the other hand, the Milwaukee Bucks were at the center of the two most surprising decisions of the summer, according to the survey: